Poll preparations reach final stage

Tirupati: District Election Officer and Collector PS Pradyumna has said that the arrangements for polling in the general elections scheduled for April 11 have reached final stage.

Speaking to the media in Chittoor on Wednesday, he said that the process of arranging ballot papers in the ballot units of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) has begun throughout the district and distribution of voter slips has started on Wednesday and will continue till April 5.

This time, candidate photos will also be there on the ballot papers along with their names. Every voter should have to carry EPIC card or any identity card in the listed 11 cards to vote on the polling day. All the polling staff will be given third phase of training on April 7 at their allotted constituencies.

The Election Officer said that there will be web casting in all the polling booths and videography will be done outside the pooling booths. Micro observers will be stationed at polling stations to observe polling pattern, he said and mentioned that the postal ballots were printed, and they are being posted. Those who got postal ballots should make use of them without fail.

Pradyumna has made it clear that there was a close watch on the election expenditure of candidates and if they cross the ceiling cases will be booked. So far, 142 cases were booked in the district for violating model code of conduct and Rs 11.2 crore worth of cash and gold seized. After enquiries, Rs 2.24 crore cash was released, the Collector said. Every polling station will have two volunteers, who will help the disabled voters to cast their vote. The district will have 3,820 polling stations at 2,492 polling locations.

Pradyumna stated nowhere villagers should stop the candidates from entering the villages and if any such incidents happen, candidates can complain to Returning Officers. Foolproof measures will be taken to ensure free and fair polls, he averred. DRO Gangadhar Goud, DD of I&PR P Thimmappa and others were also present.

In Tirupati, the Returning Officers of Chandragiri and Tirupati constituencies Dr R Mahesh Kumar and V Vijaya Rama Raju have said that voter slips will not be distributed to those who were not available or their doors locked. Such slips will have to be preserved safely. On the day of polling, help desks will be there at polling stations where voters can get their slips, who miss to collect them at home. Except booth level officers, no other person or political parties have any right to distribute voter slips.